


Take A Breath That's True

by babyfairy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Reflection, Romance, Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, i'm emotional about them dont look at me, mutual comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-21 08:26:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14911916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babyfairy/pseuds/babyfairy
Summary: "What are you thinking about?" She asks. Her voice is quiet, a faint whisper in the silence of the room."You."





	Take A Breath That's True

**Author's Note:**

> Because I am sappy and sentimental, have some short and emotional Shallura in honor of season six being just a few days away!

Sometimes, he feels cold. As though a glacier has formed in the center of his chest and ice has spread through his veins. As though he will never know warmth again. Sometimes, he feels so cold that everything is numb, and he wonders at the fact that he's even around right now, that he escaped the hell fate had thrust him into. 

And then he looks at her, and the ice begins to melt. He looks at her, and he thinks that the universe had decided to be kind to him once, just this once, by dropping him literally on her door step. He looks at her, and the ground feels stable under his feet.

She doesn't always notice when he's looking. When Allura focuses on something, anything, she gives it her full attention. And when she's like this, he can't look away. Tonight, it happens to be the stars surrounding their ship - their home - that have her attention. Her face is lifted to the window, eyes distant and far away, her mind roaming the universe around them. The soft blue lights inside of the room caress her face lovingly with a gentle glow; the pink markings on her face shine in response.

Here, with her legs tucked beneath her, her nightgown flowing around her, Allura looks young, soft, and vulnerable. Shiro knows he is lucky because very few people have ever had the pleasure of witnessing this side of her. She trusts him enough to set her armor aside, to let her hair down, to expose her heart to him, and he still hasn't quite grasped the enormity of this yet. Her trust in him humbles him. 

Shiro reaches out and touches his fingertips to Allura's hair. It's thick and incredibly silky. He buries his fingers knuckle deep in the mass of it, curling his fingers gently to twist the strands around them. Her hair looks like a cloud, like freshly fallen snow, like the finest sugar known to man. He enjoys the way it feels in his hand, solid and real - the proof he needs to refute the whispers crawling around in his head. 

She doesn't notice, and he smiles to himself. Shiro glances out the window, wondering which star has captured Allura's attention. Wondering where her mind is. Wondering who it's with. He isn't the only one that suffers, often in silence, from his demons. 

It's painful to think about sometimes, knowing Allura is suffering, thinking she needs to bear her burdens by herself. It terrifies him that she's willing to sacrifice her life for their cause, has put herself in that position more than once. She's come through each situation still alive, but it terrifies him all the same. What would happen to their efforts if she were suddenly gone? What would happen to him?

His fingers tighten in her hair. The silken strands slide against his skin in a quiet attempt to comfort him.

Shiro extracts his hand carefully and shifts across the couch. They're the only ones in the room, the only ones awake, so he doesn't feel so self conscious about nudging her forward, settling behind her so his legs are on either side of her hips, her back to his chest, her hair tickling at his chin.

This gains her attention. Allura blinks, her eyes clearing, and turns her head enough for Shiro to catch a flash of the vivid shade of blue. She reaches for his hands and pulls his arms around her, lays his hands against her stomach. The fabric of her gown slides against his skin, catches in one of the metal joints. She pries the two apart without a second thought and settles her hands over both of his. The soft pink, almost a blush, of her gown compliments their contrasting skin tones nicely. 

A soft glow begins inside of Shiro, deep beneath the ice threatening his soul. The warmth that comes with it is subtle, so light it could be missed, but he feels it, and it eases some of the tension constricting his lungs.

He buries his face in Allura's hair, hides himself in the silken cloud spilling around her shoulders. She smells sweet, like a flower he can't name. The cleanness of it, of her, helps to push away the scent of blood and death forever burned into his brain. He inhales slowly, deeply, taking in as much of that cleanness as he can, trying in vain to stamp it into his lungs.

He feels fragile, unsteady, as though the smallest breeze could shatter him right now. It's one of those nights; the memories are too loud. The echoes of pain are too much, leaving him feeling numb and cold and utterly alone. 

Allura's hands press against Shiro's. "What are you thinking about?" She asks. Her voice is quiet, a faint whisper in the silence of the room. 

"You." He almost doesn't recognize the husk in his voice. It isn't a total lie; she is circling the darker memories, steadily banishing them with her light. 

Her hands tighten around his. Allura turns her head and finds his temple, presses a soft kiss there, and the warmth blossoms, melting the ice inside of him. Shiro shivers, tightens his arms around her, drawing on her strength, the steady light she emits. 

"You're safe," She murmurs into his skin, and the words seep into him, melt another chunk of ice. "You're safe, Takashi. You are right here, with me, safe and sound in our home." 

Shiro closes his eyes. Her words ring through his head, beat the shadows further back, towards the doors they escaped from. A tight lump forms in his throat. He rest his cheek to Allura's for a moment and allows himself to breathe, to bask in her presence and energy.

It's been a long while since he's felt the warmth of the sun, but he doesn't know how to miss it when Allura's light is so strong it seems to cleanse his very soul.

Shiro lifts his head and moves Allura's hair off of her shoulder, exposing the sharp cut of her jaw. He leans in and rests his mouth to the corner, allowing himself to enjoy the shape of her against his lips. "You are too, you know," He murmurs as he lifts his head.

Allura glances up at him, and he nods to the window. "I know your mind was wandering and I know sometimes it wanders into places that aren't very pleasant to be in." He laces his fingers through hers against her stomach, squeezes gently. "But I'm here with you. I just want you to remember that. You aren't as alone as you might feel."

The tenderness that curves her mouth, slips into her eyes, spreads the warmth further through him. He feels it moving like molten gold through his veins, dispelling the cold and the numbness until the only thing left is - her. Her light. Her support. Her love.

"Thank you," Allura whispers.

Shiro kisses her temple and holds her against him. He feels stronger, steadier, put together. He rests his cheek to Allura's hair and watches the stars twinkle at them, marveling at how easily she can chase away his shadows and demons and nightmares. How easily she can ground him. How easily she can hold him up when he feels like falling. How easily she can hold him together when he feels like shattering. It's something he wants to give back to her, the love and support she's given him so effortlessly.

Maybe he doesn't deserve her. He doesn't really know. Maybe he'll never be able to give her what she gives him. He doesn't really know. Sometimes he feels inadequate, like he'll never be able to give her what she needs. 

But here she sits, wrapped in his embrace, tucked into the safety and security he offers her, and that too dispels those thoughts. All he can do is try. Quitting has never been an option for him, and that's not about to change now. Whatever she needs from him, whatever she wants, no matter how small, he will find a way to give to her, just as she has given to him.

Shiro's arms tighten around Allura once more. He can feel the steady rise and fall of her middle with each breath she takes, even and calm. It puts him at ease, and he allows himself to relax, allows the warmth she created to overtake him completely, and continues to watch the galaxy move around them in comfortable silence with her.


End file.
